Teaching Assistant Program

Graduate Students:

Welcome to the 2014-2015 academic year!

PLEASE VISIT THE 2014 TEACHING ASSISTANT PROGRAM PAGE HERE FOR ALL OF THE MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED AT THIS YEAR'S ORIENTATION PROGRAMS.

For or over twenty-five years, Michigan State University’s Teaching Assistant Program (TAP) has been working with graduate programs and faculty to provide a wide variety of professional development experiences in support of the teaching and learning of all MSU teaching assistants (TAs). This effort is particularly crucial because it is the teaching assistants at Michigan State that are often providing undergraduate students with their first exposure to core courses in a wide variety of disciplines. As such, teaching assistants play a crucial role in Michigan State University’s efforts to ensure academic success among the institution’s undergraduate population.

The Teaching Assistant Program (TAP) is a key component of a larger commitment that The Graduate School and Postdoc Office have to provide central support to graduate students and postdocs in their development as teachers, and in their preparation for teaching roles after graduation. Dr. Melissa McDaniels is Assistant Dean of The Graduate School and Director of Teaching Assistant Programs. She collaborates with her colleagues in The Graduate School and in the academic programs to generate excitement among graduate students and postdocs about their current and future teaching roles.

Certification in College Teaching Program

The University Graduate Certification in College Teaching (CCT), an initiative of the Michigan State University Graduate School, in partnership with MSU Colleges, helps graduate students organize, develop, and document their teaching experiences. Through a series of focused workshops, a class on disciplinary teaching methods, and a mentored project, participants will build and consolidate their preparation for college and university teaching. The program culminates in an e-portfolio that will help students prepare for academic job interviews and plan for their professional development as early career faculty.

What are the goals and benefits of this program?

Most new faculty will have had advanced training in their discipline and some teaching experience, but few will have participated in programs that prepare them for a career in higher education. As competition for faculty positions increases, graduate students who are well prepared as researchers will also need to demonstrate careful preparation as teachers and colleagues.

How do I get started?

FIRST, review the CCTP details for your college. Please note that this is a program administered by the MSU Graduate School in conjunction with your specific college (or department), and individual processes may differ slightly.

THEN submit the application form, statement of interest, and a letter of support from your research advisor to your college’s Graduate Associate Dean.

How do I complete, and what will I have at the end?

The final teaching portfolio, documenting participation in required activities and reflection on the core competency areas, will be submitted to your college Graduate Associate Dean, who will then forward it to Aida Montalvo at cctp@grd.msu.edu for evaluation by the Graduate School. Completion of the program will be recognized by a notation on the MSU transcript. Please only submit ELECTRONIC COPIES (either via pdf or url) (no paper portfolios please!).

NOTE: ALL PORTFOLIOS MUST INCLUDE A COMPLETED PORTFOLIO CHECKLIST (found below in attachments).

Inside Teaching MSU

Inside Teaching MSU is a digital and in-person community (founded in August 2013 by The Graduate School at Michigan State University) for graduate students and postdocs dedicated to promoting teaching excellence through conversation and sharing best practices.

You can get engaged in one of four ways:

Following us on Twitter (@InsideTeaching) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/insideteachingmsu). Contribute to the conversation!

Applying to become an Inside Teaching Collaborative Fellow for 2015 (for MSU Graduate Students and Postdocs only). Please see the following Call for Applicants for more information. Applications will be accepted through November 24, 2014.

Teaching Fellowships

Michigan State offers several teaching fellowships for graduate students in select colleges.

Preparing Future Faculty to Assess Undergraduate Student Learning

Assessment of student learning is a key activity to ensure student achievement and to maintain institutional accountability in undergraduate education. These goals are especially important for Michigan State University (MSU), a public, land-grant institution with a long-standing commitment to, therefore enrolling a very diverse student body academically, socially, culturally, and demographically.

MSU is committed to foster learning by all students, and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are key contributors to that goal. We assert that advancing graduate students’ and postdoctoral fellows’ expertise in assessment will benefit undergraduate education and contribute toward the success and excellence of graduate students as future faculty. MSU proposes a multi-faceted approach that will leverage current initiatives to enhance relationships between undergraduate student learning and the preparation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to become faculty members who excel at assessing student learning. Our goal is to use MSU’s considerable infrastructure supporting professional development of teaching excellence to move purposefully towards a more cohesive University approach to the assessment of student learning by explicitly linking assessment to the disciplinary-specific preparation of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as future faculty.

Michigan State is now a part of a select network of institutions (Harvard, Cornell, North Carolina A&T, University of North Carolina at Greensborough, UC Merced) sponsored by a grant from the Council of Graduate Schools, the Sloan Foundation and the Teagle Foundation.

Teaching FAQs

This will be a list of frequently asked questions about teaching that we have received from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. If you want to submit another question for a response (we will be adding to the FAQ list periodically), please email mcdani73@msu.edu with the subject line: FAQ REQUEST. Thank you!

1. A student is challenging me on a grade I gave him/her, how to I respond?

All TAs should familiarize themselves with MSU Grades/Appeal Policies. Also, make sure that your grading policy is clearly outlined in your syllabus. If a student does challenge a grade, you might sit down with them and have a conversation about the grade they received - and consult with the Instructor of Record if need be. The majority of cases will be re- solved at this level. There is a terrific article about MSU Grade/Appeal policies on the website of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Undergraduate students will be coming to campus with varying writing abilities. Always talk to your instructor of record about how to consider writing quality in course assessments. Fortunately, there are a range of resources both on- and off-campus that can assist your students in improving their writing ability.

MSU Writing Center. Both in-person and on-line resources are available. The MSU Writing Center has several locations across campus, including satellite offices in neighborhood engagement centers. Some students may find the "Quick Guides" on the MSU Writing Center web site particularly useful.

3. What is the best way to work with students for whom English is a second language?

Using excellent communication skills is the best way to work with all of your students. You might ask yourself the following questions to promote self-reflection that may lead you to use more optimal communication strategies that will benefit all students:

Are my speech habits conducive to good communication and maximum student learning?

Do I make every effort to speak in an orderly, direct manner?

Do I avoid the attitudes of prejudice and emotional bias in my classroom planning and speaking?

Do I speak at a rate that makes for effective comprehension?

Do I speak with the appropriate volume for the size of the room and the number of students?

Do I use variety in vocal expression—pitch, rate, loudness, and quality?

As part of my regular presentations, do I include examples and explanations suitable to the levels of language and experience of my students?

When a student addresses me, do I listen fully and courteously to both thought and feeling?

When misunderstandings occur, do I explore them further and check out both my and my students’ assumptions?

Do I respond fully to the student, with clear comments, using words, voice, gestures, and the like?

Could some of the failures in the listening of my students be due to weaknesses in my speaking and/or listening habits?

4. What if a student reveals to me, in my role as TA, that they were a victim of child abuse in the past?

If an adult student (18+ years) tells you they were a victim of child abuse, you (as an employee of MSU) must consult with the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education & Dean of Undergraduate Studies (“Associate Provost”) when they receive a report of prior child abuse. The Associate Provost will confer with campus experts to determine whether, based on the information available, there is reasonable suspicion a child is currently being neglected or abused. The Associate Provost will then make any necessary reports to CPS and the MSU Police Department. The Associate Provost will also advise the employee regarding information to share with the disclosing student, including campus resources. Dr. Doug Estry is the current Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of Undergraduate studies. He can be reached at 517-353-5380517-353-5380.

If you, in your role as TA, suspect, witness, hear about abuse of a child (under 18), you must call the MSU police at 517-355-2221517-355-2221.

5. How do I handle students who are disrespectful to either myself or other students?

According to Article 2, Section 10 of the Academic Freedom Report, “The student and the faculty share the responsibility for maintaining professional relationships based on mutual trust and civility.” Acts of incivility performed by a student can be handled in several different ways. Be sure to keep open communication in the classroom. Early on in the class, be sure to set a supportive tone and set expectations. Using a syllabi as a guideline for outlining classroom behavior is also useful. See the “Civility/Incivility in the College Classroom” Page on the Faculty and Organizational Development website for details on how to handle disrespectful students. Always consult your instructor of record or course TA coordinator for advice.

A growing problem at MSU is the use of electronic devices to facilitate cheating. TAs, in consultation with their instructor of record, should consider delivering this message to their students: “Please turn off, not place on silent, any electronic devices including cell phones, PDAs, iPads, etc. If it has a power button it needs to be turned off. Also please remove any watches, Bluetooth earpieces, or any other electronic devices you might be wearing.” If you and your Instructor of Record utilize TurnitIn in your course, MSU recommends language to put in your syllabus.

Teaching Essentials for Careers in Higher Education

TECHE: Teaching Essentials for Careers in Higher Education

This set of eight online courses is focused on research and practice in effective college teaching. Featuring international experts on education in a range of disciplines, they offer theory, practical exercises, reflection, and resources for everyone from new instructors to practiced professors. They include video instruction and an extensive list of additional reading. These courses can be taken at any time and in any setting. You can follow a course straight through, or select the course modules most useful to you.

These modules were developed by experts in teaching in higher education. They were produced by Epigeum, one of the leading publishers of online courses for higher education professionals. The copyrighted material is licensed for use by those who are affiliated with Michigan State University.

The course should now appear on how home page under “TeachingLearning.”

Once you click on the course, the separate courses should appear under your content browser.

While you are in any of the courses, the modules for all of the courses appear in the “Content Map” on the left of the page.

You can also return to your full list of course titles on the “course home” page; hit the “home” icon under the Content Browser bar.

Both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are invited to become members of Michigan StateUniversity’s PFF-ASL network as members of both groups are interested in becoming future faculty. Individuals who are passionate about teaching undergraduate students, often wonder what students are learning, and want to both build a CV and talk to faculty, postdocs, and graduate students about some of the most important questions in higher education today – this fellowship program is for you. All fellows (regardless of status as a graduate student or postdoc) will develop a broad set of assessment skills, as well as discipline-specific strategies, that will enable them to:

Develop learning goals/objectives that are written in measurable terms

Create guides/rubrics that will assist students in understanding and achieving performance expectations

Develop assessment tools that are aligned with learning goals/objectives

Analyze assessment data and use to revise learning goals/objectives, instruction and evaluation

Currently, 56 graduate students and postdocs are PFF-ASL Fellows. On May 6, 7 and 8, these graduate students participated in a three-day intensive workshop where they brought a working syllabi and worked with colleagues to redesign these courses, keeping in mind the foundational concepts of backward design, and the importance of aligning learning goals and objectives with assessments and course activities. An agenda from that workshop can be found here.

If you are a graduate student or postdoc interested in becoming a part of a quickly growing community of individuals interested in furthering their understanding and application of best practices in student learning assessment, please visit the PFF-ASL Fellows page here.